Josh Levy
@josh-levy.bsky.social
Virus spread and evolution + connection to behavior.
@Scripps Research, CA.
@Scripps Research, CA.
Reposted by Josh Levy
For the first time in my career, I can’t tell people to trust what the CDC website says. And that is an incredibly sad and devastating place for this country to be.
CDC has overhauled its website to assert that “the claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim”
November 20, 2025 at 4:22 AM
For the first time in my career, I can’t tell people to trust what the CDC website says. And that is an incredibly sad and devastating place for this country to be.
Reposted by Josh Levy
The official CDC website on autism and vaccines is now a screed of cherry-picked data and conspiratorial thinking claiming that actually vaccines *might* cause autism.
This is where we’re at folks…
🧪
This is where we’re at folks…
🧪
November 20, 2025 at 11:54 AM
The official CDC website on autism and vaccines is now a screed of cherry-picked data and conspiratorial thinking claiming that actually vaccines *might* cause autism.
This is where we’re at folks…
🧪
This is where we’re at folks…
🧪
Reposted by Josh Levy
It doesn’t matter how much you exercise or how many veggies you eat when it comes to a pandemic.
These things will not stop it, and the shitbirds that Trump has installed in leading public health positions should be fired for even suggesting it would.
These things will not stop it, and the shitbirds that Trump has installed in leading public health positions should be fired for even suggesting it would.
RFK Jr.’s Miasma Theory of Health Is Spreading
The NIH is picking up Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s argument that a healthy immune system can keep even pandemic germs at bay.
www.theatlantic.com
November 19, 2025 at 11:03 PM
It doesn’t matter how much you exercise or how many veggies you eat when it comes to a pandemic.
These things will not stop it, and the shitbirds that Trump has installed in leading public health positions should be fired for even suggesting it would.
These things will not stop it, and the shitbirds that Trump has installed in leading public health positions should be fired for even suggesting it would.
Reposted by Josh Levy
🦆 Bird flu in WA:
This is the first-ever human case of H5N5 avian influenza. It's been seen in animals before, but never before in people.
It was confirmed in a Grays Harbor County resident that had backyard poultry which may have mingled with wild birds.
doh.wa.gov/newsroom/h5n...
This is the first-ever human case of H5N5 avian influenza. It's been seen in animals before, but never before in people.
It was confirmed in a Grays Harbor County resident that had backyard poultry which may have mingled with wild birds.
doh.wa.gov/newsroom/h5n...
H5N5 Avian influenza confirmed in Grays Harbor County resident
For immediate release: November 14, 2025 (25-138) First detection of this strain in a human, risk to the public remains low Contact: DOH Communications
doh.wa.gov
November 16, 2025 at 8:22 PM
🦆 Bird flu in WA:
This is the first-ever human case of H5N5 avian influenza. It's been seen in animals before, but never before in people.
It was confirmed in a Grays Harbor County resident that had backyard poultry which may have mingled with wild birds.
doh.wa.gov/newsroom/h5n...
This is the first-ever human case of H5N5 avian influenza. It's been seen in animals before, but never before in people.
It was confirmed in a Grays Harbor County resident that had backyard poultry which may have mingled with wild birds.
doh.wa.gov/newsroom/h5n...
Reposted by Josh Levy
Yes, you still need to get your flu vaccine. Now. www.cidrap.umn.edu/influenza-va...
With an absent CDC and mismatched 'subclade K' flu strain, experts face upcoming season with uncertainty
www.cidrap.umn.edu
November 16, 2025 at 11:07 AM
Yes, you still need to get your flu vaccine. Now. www.cidrap.umn.edu/influenza-va...
Reposted by Josh Levy
According to CDC's tracker, about 870 farmworkers had been tested for bird flu between March 2024 and March 2025. Another 10 were tested in April. Zero since then 🙃
See for yourself @waybackmachine.bsky.social www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/h5-...
See for yourself @waybackmachine.bsky.social www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/h5-...
November 14, 2025 at 7:05 PM
According to CDC's tracker, about 870 farmworkers had been tested for bird flu between March 2024 and March 2025. Another 10 were tested in April. Zero since then 🙃
See for yourself @waybackmachine.bsky.social www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/h5-...
See for yourself @waybackmachine.bsky.social www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/h5-...
Reposted by Josh Levy
Oof. Outbreak of Marburg virus disease in Ethiopia near the border with South Sudan. Nine infected so far.
Marburg virus is a cousin to Ebola and similarly causes a hemorrhagic fever, with reported case fatality rates ranging from 20% to 100%.
Marburg virus is a cousin to Ebola and similarly causes a hemorrhagic fever, with reported case fatality rates ranging from 20% to 100%.
Ethiopia confirms first Marburg outbreak as WHO lauds country's fast action
Ethiopia has confirmed its first Marburg outbreak after nine cases were identified in the southern region of the country that borders South Sudan.
apnews.com
November 15, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Oof. Outbreak of Marburg virus disease in Ethiopia near the border with South Sudan. Nine infected so far.
Marburg virus is a cousin to Ebola and similarly causes a hemorrhagic fever, with reported case fatality rates ranging from 20% to 100%.
Marburg virus is a cousin to Ebola and similarly causes a hemorrhagic fever, with reported case fatality rates ranging from 20% to 100%.
Reposted by Josh Levy
Defunding scientists for the nationality of who they co-author with or who they train.
One of the most radical attack on freedom of speech in US history. A far right nationalist destruction of US science. Such a shameful time to be an American that this racist stupidity has become mainstream.
One of the most radical attack on freedom of speech in US history. A far right nationalist destruction of US science. Such a shameful time to be an American that this racist stupidity has become mainstream.
“The prohibited activities would include joint research, co-authorship on papers, and advising a foreign graduate student or postdoctoral fellow. The language is retroactive, meaning any interactions during the previous 5 years could make a scientist ineligible for future federal funding.”
U.S. Congress considers sweeping ban on Chinese collaborations
Researchers speak out against proposal that would bar funding for U.S. scientists working with Chinese partners or training Chinese students
www.science.org
November 14, 2025 at 3:32 AM
Defunding scientists for the nationality of who they co-author with or who they train.
One of the most radical attack on freedom of speech in US history. A far right nationalist destruction of US science. Such a shameful time to be an American that this racist stupidity has become mainstream.
One of the most radical attack on freedom of speech in US history. A far right nationalist destruction of US science. Such a shameful time to be an American that this racist stupidity has become mainstream.
Reposted by Josh Levy
November 13, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Reposted by Josh Levy
Update on the wild #polio discovery in Germany: The virus was found in wastewater in Hamburg. @rki.de, the German public health agency, says the virus sequence is very similar to some isolated in Afghanistan, so the likely source was an infected human. (page 10 here: www.rki.de/DE/Aktuelles...)
www.rki.de
November 13, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Update on the wild #polio discovery in Germany: The virus was found in wastewater in Hamburg. @rki.de, the German public health agency, says the virus sequence is very similar to some isolated in Afghanistan, so the likely source was an infected human. (page 10 here: www.rki.de/DE/Aktuelles...)
Makes absolutely no sense to give up now. Why would you put people through this level of misery and uncertainty if you aren’t going to see it through? It’s a shameful and purposeless defeat if they do settle.
If the Dems blink after all of this, for a deal that all but ensures no ACA subsidies in 2026 anyway, then what was the purpose of letting the shutdown go for 40 days in the first place?
November 10, 2025 at 1:18 AM
Makes absolutely no sense to give up now. Why would you put people through this level of misery and uncertainty if you aren’t going to see it through? It’s a shameful and purposeless defeat if they do settle.
Reposted by Josh Levy
i think this is key. taking the deal would amount to taking the blame. it would turn a clear political victory into an unambiguous defeat.
If the Dems blink after all of this, for a deal that all but ensures no ACA subsidies in 2026 anyway, then what was the purpose of letting the shutdown go for 40 days in the first place?
November 10, 2025 at 12:56 AM
i think this is key. taking the deal would amount to taking the blame. it would turn a clear political victory into an unambiguous defeat.
Reposted by Josh Levy
If the Dems blink after all of this, for a deal that all but ensures no ACA subsidies in 2026 anyway, then what was the purpose of letting the shutdown go for 40 days in the first place?
November 10, 2025 at 12:53 AM
If the Dems blink after all of this, for a deal that all but ensures no ACA subsidies in 2026 anyway, then what was the purpose of letting the shutdown go for 40 days in the first place?
Reposted by Josh Levy
The Epidemiologists Are Running for Office - Instead of trying to depoliticize their field, a swell of scientists want to become politicians. Via @katherinejwu.com
The Epidemiologists Are Running for Office
Instead of trying to depoliticize their field, a swell of scientists want to become politicians.
www.theatlantic.com
November 8, 2025 at 10:03 PM
The Epidemiologists Are Running for Office - Instead of trying to depoliticize their field, a swell of scientists want to become politicians. Via @katherinejwu.com
Reposted by Josh Levy
Nextstrain's daily-updated tree of SARS-CoV-2 genomes was my gateway into the world of viral phylogenetics in early 2020, and Nextstrain's beautiful interactive tree display is crucial to making usher.bio results usable. GISAID cutting off data harms global surveillance efforts. 🧵👇
On Oct 1, 2025, GISAID informed us that they had ended updates to the flat file of SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequences and associated metadata that we had used to update Nextstrain analyses since Feb 2020. GISAID's stated rationale was that their "resources are limited". 1/5
November 7, 2025 at 5:03 AM
Nextstrain's daily-updated tree of SARS-CoV-2 genomes was my gateway into the world of viral phylogenetics in early 2020, and Nextstrain's beautiful interactive tree display is crucial to making usher.bio results usable. GISAID cutting off data harms global surveillance efforts. 🧵👇
Reposted by Josh Levy
🚨 NEW: The majority holder of the world's genetic sequence data is a bad actor who can cut off access to critics and competing services. We've tolerated this for years, and now it threatens the pandemic treaty. Time for WHO to step in. With @ctrlalttim.com: www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/to-f...
To Finish the Pandemic Agreement, WHO Needs a Trustworthy Viral Database | Think Global Health
Online platforms for sharing virus sequences are in disarray. The World Health Organization has a chance to build something new
www.thinkglobalhealth.org
November 5, 2025 at 3:31 PM
🚨 NEW: The majority holder of the world's genetic sequence data is a bad actor who can cut off access to critics and competing services. We've tolerated this for years, and now it threatens the pandemic treaty. Time for WHO to step in. With @ctrlalttim.com: www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/to-f...
Reposted by Josh Levy
As reflected in the price of a dozen free range eggs being back to costing 10.99$
www.npr.org/sections/sho...
www.npr.org/sections/sho...
Bird flu surges among poultry amid a scaled back federal response
Migrating wild birds are spreading the virus to domesticated flocks, increasing the risk of eventually seeing a human outbreak. Scientists are troubled by the muted federal response.
www.npr.org
November 6, 2025 at 6:21 PM
As reflected in the price of a dozen free range eggs being back to costing 10.99$
www.npr.org/sections/sho...
www.npr.org/sections/sho...
Reposted by Josh Levy
Further proof that even under a judicial order, this current administration refuses to meet the basic needs of our most vulnerable citizens. It’s time for us to stand together and build the support our people deserve. More details coming soon.
November 4, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Further proof that even under a judicial order, this current administration refuses to meet the basic needs of our most vulnerable citizens. It’s time for us to stand together and build the support our people deserve. More details coming soon.
Reposted by Josh Levy
Among the many amazing things about Adams pleading his case here is that he openly supports and now is asking for help from… people who cancelled funding for cancer research.
November 2, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Among the many amazing things about Adams pleading his case here is that he openly supports and now is asking for help from… people who cancelled funding for cancer research.
Reposted by Josh Levy
“Furin cleavage site”, that is. Just casually, and naturally, sitting there in one of the most evolutionarily active parts of the genome.
Mystery solved.
Mystery solved.
CIDRAP: New coronavirus subspecies with SARS-CoV-2–like mutation discovered in Brazilian bat
by Mary Van Beusekom
@cidrap.bsky.social
bit.ly/4hHRfam
by Mary Van Beusekom
@cidrap.bsky.social
bit.ly/4hHRfam
November 1, 2025 at 6:15 PM
“Furin cleavage site”, that is. Just casually, and naturally, sitting there in one of the most evolutionarily active parts of the genome.
Mystery solved.
Mystery solved.
Reposted by Josh Levy
Well reported story on the PBS News Hour about science cuts and the ongoing and potential brain drain.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLvO...
Thanks to Terrance Tao and other scientists at various career stages for having the courage to speak out.
Watch and share!
1/7
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLvO...
Thanks to Terrance Tao and other scientists at various career stages for having the courage to speak out.
Watch and share!
1/7
Top researchers consider leaving U.S. amid funding cuts: 'The science world is ending'
YouTube video by PBS NewsHour
www.youtube.com
October 30, 2025 at 11:36 AM
Well reported story on the PBS News Hour about science cuts and the ongoing and potential brain drain.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLvO...
Thanks to Terrance Tao and other scientists at various career stages for having the courage to speak out.
Watch and share!
1/7
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLvO...
Thanks to Terrance Tao and other scientists at various career stages for having the courage to speak out.
Watch and share!
1/7
Reposted by Josh Levy
As expected, unfortunately.
If ever you needed a reason for never using GISAID ever again (as a data producer or data user - we're both), look no further.
Time to move on to more trusted and transparent solutions.
If ever you needed a reason for never using GISAID ever again (as a data producer or data user - we're both), look no further.
Time to move on to more trusted and transparent solutions.
October 31, 2025 at 1:41 AM
As expected, unfortunately.
If ever you needed a reason for never using GISAID ever again (as a data producer or data user - we're both), look no further.
Time to move on to more trusted and transparent solutions.
If ever you needed a reason for never using GISAID ever again (as a data producer or data user - we're both), look no further.
Time to move on to more trusted and transparent solutions.
Reposted by Josh Levy
For 61 years the #BBCWorldService has been broadcasting the latest in science via its weekly Science in Action programme. That dies in the next half hour, with this final edition, reflecting on the fall in trust in expertise driven by malign interests over recent years.
October 30, 2025 at 8:20 PM
For 61 years the #BBCWorldService has been broadcasting the latest in science via its weekly Science in Action programme. That dies in the next half hour, with this final edition, reflecting on the fall in trust in expertise driven by malign interests over recent years.
Reposted by Josh Levy
Americans are on the verge of losing their ability to choose their government. But they don't seem to have realized it yet.
Donald Trumps plan to subvert the midterms is underway
From David Graham, on the cover of the next edition of @theatlantic.com
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
From David Graham, on the cover of the next edition of @theatlantic.com
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
Donald Trump’s Plan to Subvert the Midterms Is Already Under Way
Our election system is reaching a breaking point.
www.theatlantic.com
October 28, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Americans are on the verge of losing their ability to choose their government. But they don't seem to have realized it yet.
Reposted by Josh Levy
It's long past time for state and federal authorities alike to put an end to Stephen Miller's jerkoff fantasy of masked thugs kidnapping people of color off the street with impunity.
Yes, there are Americans who want this. But they are a woefully small minority. Why are we still letting it happen?
Yes, there are Americans who want this. But they are a woefully small minority. Why are we still letting it happen?
A Naperville man was hauled away by federal immigration agents Thursday morning as his two sons watched, the older boy begging them not to hurt his father and tearfully asking for a chance to speak to him before they left.
As his two sons watch and cry, ‘Pa, te amo,’ federal agents arrest man outside of Naperville apartments
A Naperville man was hauled away by federal immigration agents Thursday as his two sons cried and begged for him not to be hurt.
trib.al
October 26, 2025 at 3:36 AM
It's long past time for state and federal authorities alike to put an end to Stephen Miller's jerkoff fantasy of masked thugs kidnapping people of color off the street with impunity.
Yes, there are Americans who want this. But they are a woefully small minority. Why are we still letting it happen?
Yes, there are Americans who want this. But they are a woefully small minority. Why are we still letting it happen?